Reading Materials

You’ve probably heard of Meatless Mondays, the nationwide (and arguably, worldwide) effort to not eat meat one day of the week and to eat less meat overall. I applaud this effort and think it’s a step in the right direction to become more aware of our food choices and how they affect our bodies, our environment, and our animal friends. In honor of MM, here are a few great articles circulating in the media these days, with some differing viewpoints. (I’m not all about being veggie!):

Why Eating some Meat may be better for the Environment than going Vegetarian

We’re Eating Less Meat. Why?

Meat Eater’s Guide

Meatless in the Midwest: A Tale of Survival

And just for the hell of it…a succinct article (by the great Marion Nestle) defining organic, sustainable, seasonal and local. And why ethanol isn’t good:

Defining Organic: The Difference Between Sustainable and Local

Happy Reading! And Happy Meatless Monday!

Allegheny Green Innovation Festival

Autumn is a great time of year for lots of festivals, conferences, and the like. The air is crisp, the pumpkins aplenty, and the environmentalists abound. On a sunny and chilly Saturday (perfect fall weather, if you ask me!), I recently attended the Allegheny County Green Innovation Festival in beautiful Hartwood Acres. I learned all about the many environmentally-friendly and sustainable orgs/movements trying to improve my community…

check out the chicken coop in the background!

Haven’t you always wanted a chicken coop in your backyard?! Did you know that chickens have personalities like any pets, and they will produce much fresher, healthier and better tasting eggs than you can ever buy in the store? Oh yes, my friends. I know you want a chicken coop now! P.S. Their poop is great as a natural fertilizer

Solar panel hard at work

I was also involved in the festival’s “sustainable food challenge” that my school got to judge! It was very cool to see some food vendors in our community trying to source their ingredients more locally or ethically, consider reusable utensils (or none at all…I saw stuffed grape leaves on skewers!), and incorporate as many sustainable practices into their business as they can.

My favorite local food vendor (who also sources local ingredients) - The Franktuary

My 2nd fave vendor - (future) fair trade ice cream!

There are still a few weeks left of decent weather, so check out your local festivals today! There’s so much to learn about going greeeeeeen. Speaking of that, GO GREEN! GO WHITE!

Happy fall